Las Vegas Sun

Gibbons vows to work with new governor

Cathleen Allison / AP

Gov. Jim Gibbons concedes the election Tuesday night from the steps of the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City. Gibbons is the first incumbent governor in Nevada in a century to lose a nominating election.

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CARSON CITY – Gov. Jim Gibbons, beaten handily in the GOP primary election Tuesday, says he will work with whomever is elected in November in preparing the next state budget.

Gibbons, holding a news conference on the steps of the governor’s mansion Tuesday night, said he wants to fashion a budget that will reflect conservative views.

But he said he would work with either Republican nominee Brian Sandoval or Democrat Rory Reid in working on the budget to prepare for the 2011 Legislature in February.

He said he didn’t have that cooperation when he took office.

He said he has no future plans other than to complete his six months in office and work to turn around the state's economy.

Asked if being governor was a tougher job than he expected, Gibbons said, “Nobody told me at the beginning that we were going to have an economic recession with the depth and breadth of the state we have had. When you see the difficult choices that have to be made, it becomes a more difficult job.

“But it’s been one of the most fun jobs I have ever had,” he told the news conference. “It’s been one of the most rewarding.”

Asked about his relationship with the Reid family, Gibbons said, "The Reids are great people but we are on politically different sides."

He said he was “proud of the work we did. I hope there is a smooth handoff.”

The 65-year-old governor has served three terms in the state Assembly, five terms in the House and one term as governor.

He is the first governor in state history to be defeated in a primary election in his run for re-election.